On Constitution Day of the Republic of Poland, I would like to extend my greetings and pay respect to Taiwanese. In Poland, we celebrate our National Day on May 3 to commemorate the ratification of the basic legal act by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth parliament in 1791 that created Europe’s first and the world’s second modern constitution.
Poland is a successful central European economy with a rich history and culture. While strongly anchored in the European and transatlantic institutions, along with other allies and democratic partners, it is forced to face the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This unprovoked aggression must be resisted, and Poland stands side by side with Ukraine and its people in this bitter hour of truth.
Poles and Taiwanese value solidarity and mutual support in difficult moments, as best evidenced by our joint efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
I want to strongly underline how much we appreciate Taiwan’s donation of 1 million masks last year. In a reciprocal gesture of gratitude and solidarity, Poland donated 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan. I am also proud to see that Poles and Taiwanese have shown extraordinary generosity toward Ukrainians.
More than 3 million refugees have fled from Ukraine to Poland in the wake of Russia’s aggression. We are trying to alleviate their suffering in any way by providing them the safety they need.
When it comes to cooperation between Poland and Taiwan, I am happy to see important developments and new initiatives on the horizon. A parliamentary friendship group was recently established at the Legislative Yuan, which will surely add a lot to mutual exchanges. I am also firmly convinced that economic cooperation would be one of the most important dimensions of our partnership. We expect Polish business delegations to visit Taiwan to explore new business opportunities.
Poland benefits from its strategic location in the center of Europe and developed infrastructure, combined with a big internal market and strong consumption, talented professionals and high-quality services. It is certainly a great destination for Taiwanese companies willing to expand in Europe.
Poland attracts a lot of foreign investors with vast opportunities in various sectors, including automotive and electromobility, electronics, information and communications technology and green technologies. It is developing into an electric vehicle hub as the biggest supplier of lithium-ion batteries or their components in Europe.
Poland can also boast competitive companies in fintech, biotechnology, e-commerce and video games. Polish programmers and engineers with cutting-edge skills are regarded as some of the best in Europe. Our start-ups develop advanced products and solutions that attract the attention of global companies.
Culture plays a vital role in fostering people-to-people contacts. The Polish Office in Taipei arranged a number of cultural activities for local communities in Taiwan. We have recently co-organized a special charity concert in Taipei to express solidarity with Ukraine and raise funds for those in critical need. The concert featured masterpieces of Polish and Ukrainian classical music jointly performed by Taiwanese and Polish artists.
Among Polish cultural events taking place in the coming months, I recommend the popular Frederic Chopin outdoor piano recital in Taipei, which is to take place in November. Poland will also be the guest of honor of the Taipei International Book Exhibition at the beginning of next year. All this puts strong wind in the sails of Polish and Taiwanese cooperation. Our new initiatives will greatly contribute to the enhancement of our mutual contacts. Let them successfully flourish.
Cyryl Kozaczewski is director of the Polish Office in Taipei.
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